How designing platform navigation is like building a dream home

This post details the design process and user testing involved in overhauling GitLab's platform navigation. It outlines three key themes (minimize overwhelm, orient users, and easy pick-up-where-you-left-off) and explores five initial design concepts. User testing led to the selection of the 'Super Sidebar' layout, incorporating elements from the 'Element Reswizzle' concept. The post also describes the iterative process of refining the foundation, including context switching mechanisms, and highlights the ongoing nature of UI development.